Ellis Residence Has a Lush Green Roof

Seattle has its fair share of LEED Platinum homes, but this is the first LEED Platinum single-family home in the state of Washington outside of Seattle. The Bainbridge Island home, blending style and sustainability, was designed by Coates Design Architects for owners Ed and JoAnne Ellis, who wanted an exemplary, modern, green home.

It took three years, but now that it’s complete, I think it’s safe to say that the Ellis Residence presents a worthy model for others to follow. The design — combined with geothermal, photovoltaic solar, solar hot water, and advanced heat recovery techniques — reduces energy consumption by 70% compared to a typical home of this size.

Smallwood Design & Construction built Ellis Residence with FSC-certified wood framing and sheathing, as well as a hybrid envelope of closed-cell spray foam and batt insulation. This allowed for a cost-effective approach to insulation performance and air-tight construction, especially when combined with the triple-glazed wood frame windows.

The 2,560 square-foot home is finished with recyclable metal panels, CMU block, and untreated, FSC-certified hardwood in a rainscreen application. The interior trim and stairs are finished with fir trees from the neighbor’s property that were milled on-site. In addition, Ellis residence has a vegetated roof, native landscaping, and rainwater cisterns.

During construction, the contractor diverted 75% of all construction waste and recyclable material from the landfill. Moreover, before any construction began, 98% of an existing cabin and garage on the site was deconstructed and diverted from the landfill. The foundation was ground up and used as structural fill for another project.

Other than LEED Platinum certification, Ellis Residence has been recognized with “Bath of the Year,” according to Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, and an Honorable Mention in the “Design & Build with FSC” 2010 Awards.

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3 Comments

A stunning home!
Is it an intensive or extensive vegetative roof? any mention of a provider?
I am looking for a light ( less than 20lbs psf wet) and affordable ( less than 20$ psf installed) solution for a prefab concept which will be launched this summer.

It is very amazing that this home is a LEED Platinum certified home. The design of its roof are amazing too. Aside from having a green roof, a green window can also make a difference. Purchasing new windows can be 15 times more expensive thus company like ours make sure that each windows are treated in a way that it is also going Green. While most window films are for reducing solar heat gain in the summer, low-e films both block summer heat and improve winter heat retention. Green oriented sites such as http://www.TintBuyer.com discuss how window tints can be labeled as one of the most effective way to conserve energy consumption for less compared to other green related technology.

You got that one right, Jon! The interiors are just stunning! No, wait. Everything about that house is absolutely stunning! The fact that it’s one of the many green homes in Washington makes it a lot more awesome. Also, its energy consumption is 70% less compared to a normal home of the same size.